Venugopal seeks Centre's intervention to cap air ticket prices for Kerala during festivities

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Congress leader K C Venugopal has sought the Centre's intervention to impose a price cap on air tickets for Kerala during Christmas and New Year.

In his letter to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, the AICC general secretary (Organisation) said Kerala has a significant expatriate population in the Gulf countries, and also serves as a vital hub for domestic travel to major metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

However, the unprecedented surge in air fares on these routes during the ongoing Christmas and New Year season is causing immense hardship to ordinary travellers, said Venugopal, who is also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

"As we approach the peak of the holiday period, flight ticket prices have skyrocketed, often doubling or tripling from regular rates, making air travel unaffordable for middle-class and lower-income families.

"This exploitative pricing, driven by airlines' opportunistic surge pricing, is not only pricing out essential family gatherings but also disrupting remittances, tourism, and the emotional well-being of our diaspora communities who look forward to these rare opportunities to return home," he said.

Venugopal said this issue is particularly acute in Kerala, where over 2.5 million residents work in the Gulf, contributing significantly to the state's economy.

"In light of this, I urge your immediate intervention to address this crisis and provide for a temporary or permanent cap for air fares, while also directing the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to monitor dynamic pricing in real-time and penalise airlines for unjustified surges, ensuring compliance with existing fare regulations," he said in the letter to Naidu.

Sharing his letter on X, the Congress leader said, "What should be a time of festivities has turned into a stressful affair because airlines are fleecing Kerala residents and making the most out of this situation." PTI SKC NSD NSD